Another field path takes us out of Caythorpe, round an arable field and across a sheep pasture to reach the well marked path that follows the edge of the hill to Hough on the Hill. We cross the East Coast Main Line on a bridge, then turn left at a T junction onto a busier road (again with verges), which we leave right to head into the quiet village of Hougham, where the main street has a pavement on the north side. Our path leaves the lane through a rather narrow kissing gate to the right, and the way down to the bridge and across the field to the left is clear and well trodden. We eventually reach a T junction and turn left, then cross the bridge right into a field, where the path was wet with very sticky clay. We follow the surfaced track most of the way across a large field, then turn right at a clearly signposted point where the well trodden path heads across the clay, crossing two further fields to reach a narrow fenced bridge across the Witham, that takes us into Westborough....

Hugh Hudson

Haven't walked this one, but the GPX is very badly plotted, which probably means the distance is underestimated. I will submit a fixed version but would like to test walk it first....

Hugh Hudson

The next section of the route follows a fast and quite busy country road with no pavement through the villages of Alverton and Kilvington (photo 9). Leaving Kilvington, the route leaves the road at a bend and follows a footpath (footpath sign rather hidden and hard to spot - photo 10)....

PeteBearne

From Long Bennington, we start heading north along Great North Road (the old A1), then follow the A1 signs left onto Valley Lane. The tarmacked old railway cycletrack is signposted (thanks to Sustrans), but you can't just turn right onto it - the track goes left (south) at the bridge then doubles back under the road bridge on the old track bed....

Hugh Hudson

We descend field edges (fairly steeply) - there are waymarks at all the field boundaries, then follow a farm lane right to the A52, using the field path parallel to the main road up to an obvious gap opposite a junction. Just before Allington Meadows the path gets more challenging - first we cross a fallow field with high grass and thistles on a path that is just about visible, but beyond this field we cross a corn field in which there was no obvious cut path. Beyond the caravans the path improves, and we follow lanes through Allington, then turn right into the rather charming Cowlady Lane and follow the field edge on a wide well cut strip to the Drift (Sewstern Lane) where we turn right....

Hugh Hudson

I ve walked this 3 or 4 times - it’s direct and therefore efficient to get back to Newark when you have walked 10 miles over fields and beautiful scenery out and fancy a shorter route back. But I find it pretty boring and walking a number of miles on tarmac is not great....

Nicola

Path well marked when you are on the route - have to use the arrow on the map to reassure myself I am on the right path. Great cafe in Long Bennington to stop for refreshments and toilet whilst deciding on the route to walk back....

Nicola

Leaving the meeting point at Long Bennington, we go a short distance south along Great North Road then turn right into Vicarage Lane. Ignoring Moor Lane, we follow the road (which is fast but wide and has good verges) south, then take the right turn onto a narrower road below Folly Hill. We follow this for some distance, crossing a bigger road on a crossroads and going straight on to the T junction outside Scarrington, where we turn left into the village, then right at the church. The path from here into Bingham is usually easy to follow, as long as you don't miss the left turn where the path straight on heads for Car Colston....

Hugh Hudson

Leaving the meeting point at Bottesford station (which I think is fine, as it is far easier to get there by train than bus from Nottingham and further east), we follow Station Road west then take the level crossing onto the old lane that leads up to the beacon. This is part of Sewstern Drift, a long and fairly straight old drove road that connects Long Bennington with Rutland and forms part of the Leicestershire-Lincolnshire border, and will be familiar to anyone who has walked the Viking Way. We stay on the Viking Way, bearing right beyond the bridge to find Church Lane, a quieter but slightly longer route into Long Bennington than the old main road....

Hugh Hudson

Then on across the fields to Kilvington where we rejoin the lane. Just before Orston (pub) a muddy byway cuts westwards to the Flawborough lane....

StephenWalker

All but 3 fields is surfaced path or along a road. The old railway from Newark is a straight, cycle path, part of the Sustrans network....

StephenWalker

There is a direct right of way path, which is rather too overgrown to be followed easily on the ground, but this route instead follows farm tracks which are not clearly defined as rights of way - in particular one crosses through the middle of a field, for which I would want to be sure it was legally OK. In a few other places the waymarked lines across fields do not exactly match the defined rights of way, but that is a minor technicality....

Hugh Hudson

The suburban route through Balderton and Newark is a little dispiriting, but the rest of the route is very pleasant apart from the clayfields around Claypole - very sticky when wet....

Hugh Hudson